Montenegro, the UN and the diaspora: Together towards the Sustainable Development Goals

Acceleration of Montenegro's achievement of SDGs was central topic of the event jointly organized by the Governemnt and UN Montenegro on the occasion of the Statehood Day of Montenegro, on the sidelines of the high-level Political Forum organized within the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in New York.

Co-hosts of the event - head of the Montenegrin delegation, the Minister of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism Ana Novaković Đurović, the United Nations Undersecretary for Development Cooperation Oskar Fernandez Taranko and the UN Resident Coordinator in Montenegro Peter Lundberg agreed that Montenegro is a reliable partner of United Nations which strongly contributes to the realization of global Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030.

The event, attended by number of diplomatic representatives as well as members of Montenegrin diaspora, was an opportunity to present the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027 adopted by the Government of Montenegro in early July. This jointly developed five-year development plan in anchored in three priority areas of cooperation:

• inclusive economic development and environmental sustainability,
• development of human capital, reduction of vulnerability and social inclusion, and
• social cohesion in the context of governance people-oriented, rule of law and human rights.

UN Resident Coordinator presented a tool for joint financing of the sustainable development initiatives - the Montenegro Acceleration Fund - which is being worked on by the Government and the United Nations system in the country.

It was pointed out that the cooperation between Montenegro and the UN is based on the lofty values of justice, rights, freedom and equality. In this sense, the Cooperation Framework between Montenegro and the United Nations has the potential to further improve cooperation and the overall socio-economic situation in Montenegro. As such, the Cooperation Framework builds up on the National Sustainable Development Strategy, which is the national policy response to Agenda 2030.

It was emphasized that the accession of Montenegro to the European Union remains the most important foreign policy goal and development path, and that strengthening the synergy between the EU accession process and the Sustainable Development Goals will initiate a series of transformative changes in the country, enabling Montenegro to have a smart and efficient approach to the implementation of both development agendas.

In this regard, the initiative to complement the financial structure of the Cooperation Framework by introducing the Montenegro Acceleration Fund as a strategic tool for improving the partnership between the country and the UN, as well as other development partners, will deepen commitment to results within national priorities and strengthen shared ownership of development results.

Special support for this approach was expressed by Switzerland and Luxembourg, emphasizing their commitment to the reform of the United Nations, and their support for Montenegrin path to the European Union and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda, simultaneously calling on other partner countries to support the strategic development of Montenegro.

The Fund for Accelerated Development of Montenegro can also be a tool that will channel the support that the Montenegrin diaspora traditionally provides to the development of the country.